Authority which, in French, is known as the Institut Congolais pour la Conservation de la Nature (ICCN). ICCN rangers protect Congo’s national parks and wildlife from poachers, rebel groups, illegal mining, farming, and settlement, and charcoal production. That job became increasingly difficult during the First and Second Congo Wars, and the subsequent Kivu Conflict, as fighting caused widespread damage to the region’s infrastructure and society. More than 150 ICCN rangers were killed in action between 1996 and 2010. IGorilla as an example of a digital media tool for direct fundraising The iGorilla app is one of the numerous measures taken by ViNP to promote awareness about the plight of Congo’s biological heritage and raise funds to help protect it. ViNP's use of the app is evidence that organizations dedicated to wildlife conservation are using digital media technology to establish direct relationships - as opposed to those brokered by international organizations, non-governmental organizations or charities - with people who are concerned about the protection of wildlife. This kind of direct fundraising is increasingly important to organizations involved in wildlife conservation, especially to those operating in sub-Saharan Africa. Even in times of peace the management of a protected area in this region can be difficult. The institutions charged with the task are fragile; often they are under-funded, and lack the necessary support from central government successfully to withstand the pressure exerted on them by increasing numbers of increasingly desperate people. What little long-term, guaranteed funding that is available to them can be withdrawn at short notice if the extremely volatile political situation changes. So having the tools to establish and maintain direct relationships with large numbers of non-institutional donors is important. ViNP’s Director, for example, was sure of the importance of these direct relationships and the tools, like iGorilla, that facilitate them: ‘The survival of Congo's mountain gorillas relies on our ability to reach out to individuals around the world who care, and to keep them informed on a daily, even hourly basis, of the rangers' efforts to protect the wildlife in Virunga National Park. iGorilla provides us with exactly that opportunity.’ References External links ViNP's website The Mountain Gorilla Veterinary Project website The website of the company that designed the app: I-SITE IOS software